In NH we are lucky to have great liquor stores. They have a giant inventory. I tend to go for the same brands most of the time. Other times I will try something new. Usually these new products are chosen based on interesting packaging. This is exactly how I ended up trying Ole-Smoky Moonshine.

The Ole Smoky Moonshine comes in mason jars. They also offer nips in mini mason jars. These mini mason jars are the cutest things! So when they went on sale, I couldn’t resist! The liquor store had three flavors available in this size; Apple Pie, White Lightnin’, and Hunch Punch.

We decided the best way to do an initial test was to try each straight. This allows us to get a clear smell and taste of the product without anything to distract.

Apple Pie

This has a very strong apple pie scent and flavor. As much as we love apple pie, drinking it is a bit weird. As my husband put it: “I don’t like drinking apple pie”. This doesn’t taste unpleasant. But for our preferences, we wouldn’t want to drink it on it’s own. It might be good in a mixed drink.

White Lightnin’

This has a strong odor which we believe is reminiscent of rubbing alcohol. It has a strong alcohol flavor. Again, we wouldn’t want to drink on it’s own, but it may be good in a mixed drink. We believe this could be a good replacement for vodka.

Hunch Punch

This smells like a boozy hawaiian punch. It also has a fruit punch flavor. You can taste the alcohol. However it is not as overwhelming as the others. If served really cold, this could be good as a shot. It would also be delicious in a mixed drink. I think mixing this with Sprite would make a punchy adult Shirley Temple.

The alcohol content is different with each variety.
Apple Pie – 70 Proof
White Lightnin’ – 100 Proof
Hunch Punch – 80 Proof
Based on these numbers, we were definitely able to taste the alcohol in the White Lightnin’ which makes sense as it has a substantially higher ABV.

We tested these straight. However we agree that these were realistically intended to be mixed into a cocktail. The Ole Smoky Moonshine website gives drink recipes for each of their products. One such example is that they suggest mixing the Hunch Punch with their Margarita Moonshine and lemon-lime soda. According to the Ole Smoky website Margarita Moonshine is only available at their distillery. So I think this could be replaced by margarita mix. Either way that combination sounds delicious. We will try some of these soon!